author's disclaimer:
i do not own, among other things,the following:the characters as published in the harry potter series, the wizarding world as published in the harry potter series, the phrase-ology/terminology as published in the harry potter series, anything that can be recognized as theproperty of j.k. rowling and/or her publishers, and so on.
i own the new characters including, but not limited to, anie spangle.
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Chapter 1: Lazy Authority
They say you can measure the greatness of a hero by the effects of his demise… the result of Albus Dumbledore's murder was one that crippled the nation. Devastated by the death of their greatest protector, the British masses turned to "the boy who lived" for hope and salvation against their greatest enemy.
The "boy who lived" was seventeen and still very much a boy.
Although Britain, the recognized home of the Dark Lord, was the most affected, Albus Dumbledore's sudden assassination sent waves of shock and terror across entire known wizarding world. The dissolution of Hogwarts students (and patrons) had a crippling effect on the nation, spurring the migration of hundreds of families to safer parts of Europe and countries overseas; while other, darker families moved in and began seeking employment with dark wizards associated with the Dark Lord.
It was the USA -- Britain's English-speaking-emancipated-daughter country -- that experienced the highest flux of immigrants as a result of Dumbledore's death. The American Ministry of Magic spent months preparing and sending all immigrants copies of the new national laws they would be expected to live under (generally the same as before, but with the different spellings like "appropriate behavior" rather than "appropriate behaviour") while the American wizarding society was asked to tolerate and be "appropriately hospitable" to the newcomers.
Within just a few months – after panic subsided into a milder, albeit constant, anxiety – hundreds of British mothers began to loosen their maternal grips, allowing their children to occasionally wander outdoors and re-enroll themselves into school: the American Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Like all of the other House leaders, Anie Spangle had her hands full with the new students flooding her House. She felt sorry for her new charges as they trudged across the foreign grounds, but felt oddly resentful toward the ones that, instead of wasting time grieving, got busy forming British-only cliques. She and the other House leaders brought this to the attention of the Headmaster, who appealed to their compassion for people who make friends with people of a common background: "It's perfectly normal."
Unsurprisingly, the Headmaster delegated his responsibilities back to the House leaders, offering anyone with special concern the right to force friendship-conducive games among the members their own house. And, also unsurprisingly, Anie Spangle decided to do nothing about the situation, justifying herself with the thought that she would never be the kind of person to force a relationship on someone (conveniently forgetting her last involvement in a blind-date setup for a friend three weeks earlier).
The four House leaders left the Headmaster's office heading with the intention of heading toward their respective Houses except John Chrisson, head of Smith House, who silently followed Anie, who was too busy daydreaming to notice him.